Alliance of Shadows, Book 4: DRESON

Brotherhood Bonds

Kaden woke me up the next morning by bouncing on my bed. His excitement was nearly contagious as he tugged at my arm, eager to pull me out of my room. With a sigh and a roll of my eyes, I let him drag me down to the living room of our small manor.

Celestia sat with her head in her hands, shoulders tense, while Dad’s laughter echoed through the room. He turned his blue eyes to me, his grin widening.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," he said.

Celestia lifted her head abruptly, revealing the glistening tracks of tears on her cheeks. "Oh, baby, I'm so sorry. I didn’t think you would get chosen, Dreson."

Dad gently placed a hand on her arm, his voice low and steady. "That's enough, Cece. The decision was made randomly, and you know that."

Confused and still heavy with sleep, I walked over to him as he gestured for me. He pulled me into his lap while Kaden made his way to Celestia, settling onto her knees.

Across from Dad sat a towering, broad-shouldered man with deep-set dark eyes and sleek black hair. Beside him, a boy my age sat stiffly, mirroring the man’s features almost exactly—except for something in his expression, a quiet intensity that set him apart.

Dad reached for his coffee cup and took a slow sip before addressing me. "Now then, Dreson, this is Henry Dane, Alpha of the Shadow Storm pack, and his son, Neil."

Shyly, I bit my lip and gave them a small wave. "Hi."

"Hello, little Master Cage," the Alpha said, rubbing the small boy’s back. "I'm looking forward to having you around my house for the next little while."

Wait, what? I was sure I heard that wrong.

"No!" Kaden shouted. "You can't take my bwudder!"

He wrestled free from Celestia's grasp, his tiny hands pushing against her arms as he scrambled toward the staircase. His heart-wrenching sobs echoed through the hall, each cry carrying the weight of understanding—he knew I was leaving, even if he refused to accept it. Celestia turned her head slightly, torn between staying put to respect her Alpha and chasing after Kaden to soothe him.

Neil tilted his head to the side when I slid off my father's knee and wrapped my arms around Celestia in a quick embrace. His brows furrowed slightly, studying the scene with a mixture of curiosity and hesitation, as if trying to decipher why my family was reacting so strongly.

"I'll go talk to him, Mommy," I murmured.

Alpha Henry’s lips curled into a knowing smirk. "Wasn't your son born before you met Cece, Rowan?"

"Yes," Dad answered as I stepped onto the first stair.

"Then why does he call her mom when she's not his real mother?" A quieter voice cut through the room—I knew immediately that the Alpha's son had spoken.

I turned back, frowning at him. Neil met my gaze, his expression unreadable at first, but then his lips pressed together as if struggling to grasp my answer before deciding it wasn’t worth questioning further.

"My real mother died when I was born, but Celestia is my mom now."

Neil rolled his eyes, leaning back slightly in his chair. "You can't have two mommies."

I snorted. "Haven't you ever heard of stepparents?"

Celestia laughed, wiping the lingering tears from her face. "Go on, Dre. You go talk to Kaden and let him know that it's only for a month. Then you get to come home. Maybe you and Neil can learn from each other while you're there."

Learn? From him?

Yeah, right. What could I possibly gain from someone who didn’t even know what a stepparent was?

Then again, maybe I could help him understand. Maybe, for once in my life, I could have a real friend. One who wouldn’t spread lies about me. One who would accept me for who and what I was rather than one who kissed up because I was Druid Royalty.

I ran up the stairs and into my room, already knowing where Kaden would be—hiding under my bed with the Optimus Prime he'd gotten for Candlemas. He never hid in his own room, just mine, where he felt safe under his big brother’s watch.

His small, hiccupping sobs reached me before I even pulled back the sheets. He was talking to the toy, his words slurred and heavy with sadness.

"Kaden," I whispered, dropping to my knees. I lifted the covers and found him curled up, his tiny fingers clinging to Optimus Prime like the toy could somehow keep me from leaving. His round, tear-streaked face peeked up at me, his lips trembling. "Hey, little brother."

At the sound of my voice, his sobs started up again, louder and messier. "I don't want you to go, Dre!" he wailed, clutching his toy tighter. "Who's gonna play superheroes with me? Who's gonna talk to me when I gets upset? Who's gonna beat up the bullies?"

The words tumbled out between gasping breaths, his small chest rising and falling too fast. His fingers curled around the fabric of my shirt, tugging hard like he thought holding on could keep me here.

I reached for his wrist and gently pulled him out from under the bed. He let me, but only because his legs weren’t strong enough to fight back. His little body felt warm and shaky, like he wanted to keep crying but didn’t have the energy. I wrapped my arms around him, resting my chin on his messy curls.

"It's only for a month, then I'm coming back," I told him softly. "See, Daddy said we have this thing with the Alliance called a Child Trade. I got picked this time, and since I'm a High-Councillor’s kid and a Prince, I get to live with the Alpha King."

Kaden sniffled and wiped his runny nose on my shirt like he always did. "A whole month?" he whispered, his voice scratchy. "That’s so long, Dre."

I squeezed him a little tighter. "I know. But it'll be okay. I'll be back before you know it."

Curling into me, he dug his little fingers into my arms, holding on for dear life. "No, no, no! I don't want you to go. What if you don’t come back? What if someone bullies me while you're gone? What if no one listens to me? Take me with you, Dre. I'll be good, I promise!"

"I can't, Kaden. It doesn't work like that." I sighed, running a hand over his messy curls. "Besides, this is a great time to start standing up for yourself. I can't be your guard forever, you know."

His lip trembled, his grip tightening like he thought he could anchor me to the spot. "But what if I’m too little? What if they don’t care?" His voice was barely above a whisper, small and scared.

Thinking of all the times he'd been pushed around, I tried my best not to show how upset I really was as I calmed him down. He was right.

With Celestia and Dad always working, Kaden would end up at a sitter's house or with one of the other parents during the day. Because he was a Werewolf-Druid mix—on top of being a child of a Black mother and a white father—he always seemed to be the one blamed when something went wrong. The other kids got away with hurting my brother, and he was the one left taking the blame.

A thought hit me.

"Kaden, do you want to sleep in my room while I'm gone?" I looked down as he stopped sobbing. "You can sleep in my bed and play with my toys, too."

He sat up, resting his rear on his ankles. His tear-streaked face brightened just a little, hope flickering in his wide eyes. "Do you mean it, Dreson?"

"Have I ever lied to my baby brother?" I teased, knowing he hated being called a baby.

His nose scrunched up, and he kicked at my leg—not hard, just enough to make a point. "I'm not a baby!" he huffed, wiping his sleeve across his face. "I'm four, not two!"

I chuckled, ruffling his messy curls. "You're still little."

Kaden groaned but didn’t argue, sniffling as he curled his fingers into the hem of my shirt. "No, you don't lie to me," he admitted, voice still wobbly. "I still don’t want you to go, though."

"I can ask the Alpha if I can call you every night before bed," I told him as I got off the floor and started grabbing my clothes. "And maybe, on the weekends, Daddy and Mommy can bring you to see me."

He tugged my sleeve as I moved away, his big brown eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What if you forget to call?"

"I won’t forget." I said, giving him a tight hug.

Glaring at me, Kaden whimpered, "You promise?"

"I promise," I said, holding up my pinky.

Kaden hesitated, then hooked his tiny pinky around mine, sealing the deal. "Okay," he murmured, but his grip lingered like he wasn’t ready to let go just yet.